Although a state budget has finally been adopted, a compromise between Democrats and Republicans still resulted in cuts to education, health care, unemployment programs, social & human services, public infrastructure, and other vital services while raising taxes on sales, income and vehicles.

On March 10, 2009, the Los Angeles Board of Education approved issuing preliminary layoff notices to about 9,000 employees despite concerns over potential harm to educational quality. In separate votes, the board approved sending letters to about 2,000 permanent elementary school teachers and about 3,500 probationary teachers informing them that they are in danger of losing their jobs.

Because of the state and national fiscal crises, the district is facing a nearly $700-million shortfall over the next 18 months. Despite the dire financial circumstances facing Californians, wasteful spending still occurs on a daily basis.

The Los Angeles Times reported recently that top administration officials have made free use of government expense accounts with little oversight.

John Cruz, the appointments secretary of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, has charged taxpayers for his flights and for hotel bill of up to $382 a night on regular trips between his Orange County home and Sacramento.

“As the state’s chief headhunter, I’m out visiting with folks, interviewing folks, making public speeches,” said Cruz, who spent $4,196 traveling in one month.

Carrie Lopez, director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, charged taxpayers to fly from Sacramento, where she works, to Los Angeles, where she lives, to attend a Justin Timberlake concert with her daughter. Lopez, whose agency’s mission is to protect Californians from being fleeced, also routinely charged the state for meals while working in Los Angeles, without submitting receipts – including on occasions when she received the same meals for free, according to her filings with the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission. Lopez collected $40 for breakfast, lunch, dinner and incidentals for June 23, 2007, the same day Bank of America paid $51.64 for her to attend a luncheon; and again on September 2, 2007, when Sempra spent $216.02 on her dinner, refreshments and a ticket to a Beyonce concert. She also charged taxpayers nearly $239 for a hotel room and transportation to an event for Hispanas Organized for Political Equality, a nonprofit group for which she has served on the board of directors for about a decade.

Rosario Marin, head of the State & Consumer Services Agency, blamed a miscommunication for her failure to repay $582 the state spent to fly her to Washington in July to speak at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, an appearance for which she received $1,000. Marin spent more than $21,000 in two years traveling between the Los Angeles area, where she lives, and northern California. On April 4, 2008, Marin bought 12 round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines so she could fly from Burbank, about 20 miles from her Walnut Park home, to Sacramento at the beginning of every week for the following three months and return to Burbank at the end of the week,records show. The tab: $3,108.

The state paid $2,110 in January 2008 for then-Secretary of Education David Long to travel up and down the state for meetings that brought him back home to Riverside County before every weekend. The next month, Long, a Republican, charged taxpayers to travel home from Sacramento for the weekend so he could speak to the Lincoln Club of Riverside County, a political action committee that raises money for GOP candidates.

Brian McGowan, a deputy secretary for economic development and commerce, flew round-trip 15 times between Ontario airport, 40 miles northwest of his Canyon Lake home, and Sacramento. He booked hotel rooms to attend “various meetings” at his agency, his expense reports say. The state spent bout $7,000 on his travel during that period.

Heather Peters Bonhach, Deputy secretary, Business, Transportation & Housing charged the taxpayers for four trips to Sacramento with six hotel nights at a cost of $1,974.

Dale Bonner, Secretary, Business, Transportation & Housing submitted a requisition for repayment in the amount of $2,332 for seven trips to Los Angeles where he resides.

Lynn Daucher, Director, Department of Aging, who works in Sacramento and lives in Brea, charged the state $1,585 for eight trips to the Los Angeles suburbs.

Regina Evans, Deputy cabinet secretary, who works in Sacramento and lives in San Diego requested that the state reimburse her for $2,941 for six trips to San Diego and other places.

Sharon Majors-Lewis, Judicial appointments secretary, who works in San Diego and lives in San Diego, made five trips to Sacramento at a taxpayer cost of $3,527.

Middle-class Californians have long paid more taxes than they might pay elsewhere, but for decades this state could boast that it gave them quite a bit in return. A modern freeway system, easy access to superior universities and progressive health programs used to be part of the compact. Even local schools plagued with financial problems continued to offer small classes, innovative after-school programs and advanced arts and music curricula.

But at a time when taxes are about to rise substantially, the services that have long set this state apart are deteriorating. At one time, paying higher taxes meant sending your children to good schools. Now, we are faced with the very real situation where the state can no longer give its citizens as much in return.

In the face of these massive budget cuts to public services and schools and the concomitant increase in taxes, it is time to once and for all to stop talking about wasteful spending and do something about it right now. Middleclass Californians should not suffer alone. We are asking that you immediately eliminate the program of reimbursing state officials, on a per diem, or per day, basis for travel and living expenses in connection with their official duties.

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